Visualizing the London 2012 Olympic Games

This summer, we will see the best of the best compete for pride, glory, and, of course, medals at the Olympics. From kilograms lifted in weightlifting to the number of individual countries competing to the number of medals won by competing nations — the Olympics provides a barrage of numbers that are ripe for designers to analyze and visualize.

We challenge you to use data and design to visualize the Olympics, helping us understand and enjoy as we watch. For instance, you could create a piece that contextualizes each country’s medal count with information about their population, GDP, and athletic training resources. Or you could illuminate the results of a particular event (as the New York Times did brilliantly with this piece). Or you could visualize the impact of hosting the London 2012 Olympics Games on the UK’s economy.

During the London 2012 Games, we want to share your work with the world and we’re looking for any data-driven project that brings new insight, context, or comparison to our experience of the Olympics.

Individual prizes will be awarded for infographic and interactive entries.

Data and Resources

Use data from past Summer Games to create your design in time for the Opening Ceremonies. Submit your visualization by July 27 for the world to use during the Games (July 27-August 12). We’re offering a few resources to help you get started but you may use additional data sets (as long as they’re open)!

Enter

Visualizations must be submitted by July 27 (Opening Ceremonies) and judging will take place July 27-August 12 (Closing Ceremonies). During the Games, you may update your submission to reflect live data but design changes will not be accepted.

Prize

An interactive submission will receive a $3000 prize courtesy of GE.
A static infographic submission will receive a $1500 prize courtesy of GE.
A People’s Choice submission will receive a $500 prize courtesy of GE.

Scoring

Visualizations will be judged on the following criteria:

Understanding (10 Points): How effectively does the visualization communicate? How well does it help you make sense of this issue? Originality (5 Points): Are the approach and design innovative?Style (5 Points): Is the visualization aesthetically compelling?

From July 27-August 12, users will vote on entries to select the winner for the People’s Choice award.

Results

The winning interactive visualization: The Rising of Olympic Mountains by Christian Gross.